


Inarticulate

by seaweedbowen



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Deaf Character, F/M, Muteness, selective mutism, sorta angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:28:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24423517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seaweedbowen/pseuds/seaweedbowen
Summary: Inarticulate is the first book of a series of books under this specific alternate universe I had set up for these characters. I am still debating on its name, but if you could suggest anything that would be great, too.This AU contains no magic, nor fantastical elements at all, meaning, that the gods, and the rest of the world we all know and hold dear is nonexistent. Base it upon our own universe, if you will. Because of the absence of the myths, it affects how the characters were brought up as it was the main factor in the original series in all their growths.Imagine their lives without it in the first place. How would they grow as people? How will they interact with other known characters? Will they meet their intended? Who would they be as a person? What about their family?I have only deduced to place the characters traits as to how I would see they would be given the circumstances, and I hope you may be understanding if there is a thing or two out of place when you read, but do feel free to comment your concerns.Another thing I have to mention in this AU is that all of the characters are set in one place, to prevent further confusion for both the reader and the writer. This provides easy comprehension for the reader and less stressful thinking for the writer, so I hope you may accept this change.I will be back from time to time to improve this introduction, in hopes that it may be satisfactory and beneficial to both sides.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Kudos: 10





	Inarticulate

**Author's Note:**

> Inarticulate is the first book of a series of books under this specific alternate universe I had set up for these characters. I am still debating on its name, but if you could suggest anything that would be great, too.
> 
> This AU contains no magic, nor fantastical elements at all, meaning, that the gods, and the rest of the world we all know and hold dear is nonexistent. Base it upon our own universe, if you will. Because of the absence of the myths, it affects how the characters were brought up as it was the main factor in the original series in all their growths.
> 
> Imagine their lives without it in the first place. How would they grow as people? How will they interact with other known characters? Will they meet their intended? Who would they be as a person? What about their family?
> 
> I have only deduced to place the characters traits as to how I would see they would be given the circumstances, and I hope you may be understanding if there is a thing or two out of place when you read, but do feel free to comment your concerns.
> 
> Another thing I have to mention in this AU is that all of the characters are set in one place, to prevent further confusion for both the reader and the writer. This provides easy comprehension for the reader and less stressful thinking for the writer, so I hope you may accept this change.
> 
> I will be back from time to time to improve this introduction, in hopes that it may be satisfactory and beneficial to both sides.

THERE WAS ALWAYS A BIT OF ODD COMFORT FOUND IN COMPLETE SILENCE. Annabeth definitely thought so, as she used her noise-canceling headphones while she continued to sketch on her notebook. She hummed to herself, feeling the calming vibrations in her throat. Concentration tends to be at its prime during silence, and she was clearly taking advantage of that. Charcoal stained her hands, her unruly curls tangled, disturbing her vision, but she didn't mind, as if she was truly lost in her work at that moment.

Unbeknownst to her, the door opens, revealing her stepmother, Carrie Chase. The woman crossed her arms as she stared at the girl in front of her, still lost in the patterns of charcoal spirals on paper. She reached out to tap her on the shoulder, causing her to yelp and jump in place.

Annabeth hastily took off her headphones, letting them hang by her neck.

"I've been calling your name multiple times downstairs," Carrie told her.

"Uh, yeah, I'm sorry," Annabeth said quietly, her voice almost a whisper. "I couldn't hear anything."

"Exactly why I told you not to buy those headphones the other day," Carrie eyed the object hanging by her neck. "Clearly, you didn't listen."

Annabeth shrugged and proceeded to put it back on.

"Hold it right there, missy," her stepmother halted her. "You know what day it is today?"

"Uh, Friday?"

"No, it's Monday, which also means you have at least one week before school starts," Carrie moved to open the curtains, letting daylight seep through. "You have been cooped up in your room the whole summer, and I don't even think you've opened the curtains even once!"

Annabeth nodded. Specks of dust seeped through Carrie’s nose and she sneezed. "I disappear for a month and a half straight and this is what I see when I check on you. Unbelievable!" Carrie threw up her arms in surrender and walked out, grumbling about teenagers and their cleaning habits. Annabeth chuckled silently at her stepmother's fondness for the dramatics. She never really disappeared, but the two did barely see each other while she had been busy with a patient.

Carrie returned shortly, carrying cleaning supplies. ”I know you're not exactly comfortable with going outside, but...it's a good way to spend time before going back to school. You need fresh air! Kids your age would kill to go outside right now!"

Annabeth groaned and dropped her head on the desk. "That's the problem, people are outside."

“You’re isolating yourself, and it isn’t healthy, and I should know that because I’m a freaking shrink.” Carrie picked up discarded laundry. “Actually, your whole room is a physical manifestation of your mental unhealthiness and I won’t allow it. I may not be allowed to be _your_ psychiatrist but I am still your stepmother and I will—dear God, is that a moldy sandwich?”

“I don’t even remember that being there.” Annabeth turned her charcoal-stained head and put up her charcoal-stained hands.

“This is worse than I thought!” exclaimed Carrie. “Right. Get out of your room right now. Take your supplies with you and go outside while I clean this…this—God, I can’t even describe it. Weren’t you going on and on about getting a proper reference for that landscape of project of yours?”

“Well, yes, but I can always look up for some images—”

“Nope, nope, nope, you are going outside to the park and you will sit and you will draw and you will try to breathe in fresh air while we still have it, and that is an order, Annabeth.”

“Gee, yes ma’am,” she said sarcastically as she began to pack her things. Though her opposition against leaving the house was strong, she did see a beneficial outcome to this surrender. Besides, breathing only scented candles for the whole summer has already started to take a toll on her, and she guessed an additional project wouldn’t be so bad. The only con she saw in this was the possibility of seeing someone from school in public, and judging by the look on Carrie’s face, she didn’t have any room for excuses.

"Great!" Carrie grinned. "Do you want me to take you there? Or do you—"

"Thanks, but I'll walk." Annabeth began to gather her things. She paused. "On second thought, yeah, I change my mind, I don't want to get lost."

“Good. You have something on your face, by the way.”

It was common for people to change drastically over the summer, especially with teenagers. Some would dedicate hours for exercise, focus on diets, sort out their goals, improve their flaws—anything productive. But of course, like the rest of her internet friends, Annabeth spent most of the summer in her room: sketching, reading, binging shows, movies or books, sometimes crying over fictional characters—the usual. Productive indeed, but not by normal standards (and by normal, it usually meant high school dictated).

She scanned her reflection on her phone and grimaced at the changes. Her once distinguishable Californian tan had faded away into a pale, greyish undertone. Her lively blonde hair had faded into a dull shade, but her stormy grey eyes remained the same, the only physical trait she inherited from her mother.

Arriving at the park, her stepmother kissed her goodbye and drove off. She nearly winced at the sight of people walking about, though it did relieve her it had only been adults and children present, and not a familiar face in sight. She walked over to an ice cream stand nearby, controlling her breathing. The ice cream man smiled at her as she held up one finger and pointed to the vanilla-flavored gallon. She muttered a breathy thank you and walked away to sit under a tree. Once comfortable, she scanned her surroundings, taking in the parts she would use as reference and which ones she would leave out. There were children running around, laughing as they played tag, and occasionally they'd tag one of their parents. Nostalgia started to weigh down in Annabeth's heart as she recalled her own childhood.

Once she was finished with her ice cream, she took out her sketchpad and started on her work. She started with the outlines of the trees, then moving on to the silhouettes of human figures frozen in action by her pencil. She bit her lip as she moved on to the specific details, unaware of the time that had passed by—whether it was in minutes or an hour.

_BUMP._

A sudden burst of pain knocked through her forehead. A ball had hit her out of nowhere, the impact causing the back of her head to hit the tree. She closed her eyes as she winced from the pain coming from the two sides of her skull, biting the inside of her cheeks to prevent herself from cursing. Her left hand immediately went up to the side, holding herself in place just in case she would pass out.

_Not even thirty minutes of being outside and I get a head injury_ , she bitterly thought, _I knew I should've stayed at home_.

"Oh my God, oh my God, I'm so sorry!" exclaimed a squeaky voice.

Annabeth opened her eyes to see Eliza Blofis, her former friend Percy Jackson's thirteen-year-old step-cousin, kneeling in front of her, conflicted and panicking as to what to do next. _Fuck,_ Annabeth thought. She repeatedly cursed in her mind, seeing an old friend (also a relative of a dear former friend) was something she wasn't exactly emotionally prepared to witness.

She nodded her head repeatedly at a pace that it surely wasn't helping her current condition, and held up both of her thumbs while avoiding eye-contact, in hopes of shooing the girl away from her.

"What? You're obviously not okay, you could've gotten a...uhh, what's that called? A...consolation!"

Annabeth choked on her spit.

“Oh no, now you're choking, uhh...uhm, I'll be right back to get you some water!" Eliza quickly stood up and ran away.

Annabeth frantically took out her own water bottle from her bag to relieve herself, not long before hastily gathering her things so she could leave and forget. Her head was still throbbing from the pain, her vision was a bit impaired at the moment, but she'll manage.

"Annabeth!" Eliza called out, catching up to her. "We need to get you to the hospital! O-or a clinic!"

Annabeth waved her hand dismissively, still avoiding eye contact as her other hand tightened on the strap of her bag. 'I'm fine', she started to sign on instinct, forgetting the fact the other girl probably couldn't understand sign language, 'Just go.'

"What?" Eliza asked, completely confused.

"Just let the girl go, Ellie," an all-too-familiar voice said.

Annabeth stiffened. An old memory resurfaced, ringing in her ears. If she already had a bit of trouble with her vision before, she was surely blind now. All she could see for a split second was red all over, and her breathing became heavy.

"Percy, I hit her with the ball, we need to—"

"She's clearly fine if she can stand up and walk," Percy Jackson said dismissively. "Besides, we need to go, Paul's been calling for you nonstop."

"I—"Eliza looked at Annabeth, who in turn gave her a thumbs up. The former nodded and walked over to Percy. They both went away, leaving Annabeth behind to sort out her emotions, but they weren't far enough for Percy to say, "You should stay away from her, heard she's gone too loony in the head." He looked back at her, making eye contact for a split second, knowing fully well that she could hear what he just said. He immediately turned away as if nothing happened.

Unbelievable. Annabeth’s mouth dropped in disbelief, ready to march her way to the offender and punch the daylights out of him when a wave of pain interrupted her sudden rage and was reminded of the fact that she could barely hold eye contact with a person. She was in no condition to beat someone up, but that didn’t stop her from fuming in place.

A well-dressed elderly couple nearby made their way to her. ' _Are you alright, dear? We saw what happened_ ,' the woman in the pink sundress signed to her in concern. ' _Did those hearing people bother you_?'

Annabeth widened her eyes in surprise, surprised by their use of sign language, considering it was an uncommon occurrence to stumble upon people who knew how to sign.

' _Yes, I'm fine, a small conflict, is all_ ,' she signed back. ' _Thank you for your concern, but I do have to go now_.'

The man gave her a reassuring smile and the lady bid her goodbye with a wave.

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this back when I was around 13 and what I will post are the new rewritten ones. I will indeed change the summary sometime because reading it just made me cringe big time. So yeah, I hope you all will enjoy this.


End file.
